A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce, #3)

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A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce #3)

by Alan Bradley (Goodreads Author)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 11,357 ratings · 2,102 reviews

Award-winning author Alan Bradley returns with another beguiling novel starring the insidiously clever and unflappable eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious chemist with a passion for poisons uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds in the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey—mysteries involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in Flavia’s own backyard.

Flavia ha...more

Hardcover, 391 pages

Published February 8th 2011 by Doubleday (first published 2011)

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Mar 10, 2013 Tanu rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who love flavia or other precocious yet not arrogant pre teens.

Recommended to Tanu by: inoli and I can't thank him enough:)

Shelves: really-good

I absolutely love Flavia, this precocious yet not obnoxious child sleuth has won over my heart, and I absolutely love her. Which is why I totally love this book, because it shows us a little more about Flavia. Behind the lab glasses and witty remarks, lies the heart of a small kid, who misses his mother, and is hurt by her sister’s hatred towards her. Some scenes were very very touching, and although really emotional scenes sometimes fail to move me, Flavia with her simple emotions almost made m...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Lisa Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, gr-author, mystery, novel, historical-fiction, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed, altta, humor

This was a wonderful book choice to transition me from 2011 to 2012.

Flavia is so much fun! She’s a hoot. But, with each book, I also find her more & more endearing. And she really makes me appreciate chemistry.

For the first time I’m enjoying Gladys as her own character, not just as an accoutrement of Flavia’s.

I would have preferred Roma to Gypsy, though this is historical fiction and I’m sure the term is more correctly used for this time and place. But then right away the word for horse was...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Judy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure--I'm in love with Flavia de Luce, the 11 year old who is deeply devoted to the study of chemistry, with a special interest in poisons, and an amateur sleuth. Flavia spends her time humoring her widowed father, who spends most of his time engrossed in stamp collecting, and bedeviling and avoiding her two older sisters--17 year old Ophelia whose passion is music and 13 year old Daphne whose passion is reading. In this third in the Flavia de Luce series, beginning with The Sweetness...more

27 likes · like · see review

Mar 14, 2011 Crowinator rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-and-crime, 2011-reads, historical, favorites-read-in-2011, characters-i-love, adult

As always, a delight.

One-sentence summary: Flavia de Luce returns in her third mystery, investigating a long-ago missing child, the brutal attack on a gypsy fortune-teller, and a murdered local thug.

I feel like I've already said everything I need to about this series in my short reviews of the other two books. This one isn't any different -- it's delightful, charming, and funny, but it has dark undertones (her sisters' treatment of Flavia, which seems to be worse in this book; her father's abs...more

22 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2013 Book Concierge rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian-author, concierge, crime, historical-fiction, library, mystery, series, science, suspense, young-adult, audio, own

Book on CD performed by Jayne Entwistle
4****

The third installment in this series starring a precocious 11-year-old chemistry wizard find our heroine, Flavia de Luce, caught up with an old gypsy woman and her granddaughter.

I really enjoy this series, and this one is quite good. Bradley puts far less emphasis on Flavia’s chemistry wizardry, and relies more on her indomitable spirit, her curiosity, grace under pressure, quick thinking, and ability to lie through her teeth. Yes, her sisters continu...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, mystery, review

Review from Badelynge
This third outing of Alan Bradley's irrepressible Flavia De Luce gets the series back up to top form. Flavia saves the life of an old Gypsy fortune-teller who has been beaten and left for dead. Ok our young heroine had almost managed to burn her to a crisp the previous evening but the less said about such details the better. Flavia sets out to track down the assailant, trampling over several crime scenes in the process, bamboozling the local constabulary and driving her fami...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all Flavia de Luce fans

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers-horror, series-in-progress-still-like, 2011

If you are contemplating reading A Red Herring Without Mustard you probably already adore Flavia de Luce, a precocious 12-year old amateur sleuth. If you feel wishy-washy about the girl, don't expect her to undergo a major personality transformation in this book, Flavia remains the same smart, naive, sneaky, lying chemist/detective as she was in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag. And I wouldn't have her any other way.

As such series go, whenever a...more

14 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2011 Alissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Flavia is at it again, and it was a true delight to follow her through this mystery. The constant battle with her sisters, the desire for her murder solving skills to be recognized and appreciated by Inspector Hewitt, and her grief over the mother she's never known, are some of the continuing threads of Flavia's personal story that allowed me more of an insight into her character. This along with her brilliant mind and ability to solve the mystery kept me reading long after I should have put the...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

"A Red Herring Without Mustard" (Flavia 3) by Alan Bradley is from Thomas Lodge and Robert Greene 1592 like "a cup of ale without a wench ... an egg without salt". I've given up relating the titles to the content, and let it add old-timey atmosphere. I like all chapters titled; his would be a treat and a half. In this episode of the series, our heroine is almost a villain, she misbehaves so.

Flavia 11 burns the church fête tent of gypsy Fenella Faa, offers a campsite in recompense when the docto...more "A Red Herring Without Mustard" (Flavia 3) by Alan Bradley is from Thomas Lodge and Robert Greene 1592 like "a cup of ale without a wench ... an egg without salt". I've given up relating the titles to the content, and let it add old-timey atmosphere. I like all chapters titled; his would be a treat and a half. In this episode of the series, our heroine is almost a villain, she misbehaves so.

Flavia 11 burns the church fête tent of gypsy Fenella Faa, offers a campsite in recompense when the doctor advises rest, and rescues her from skull concussion by unknown intruder. The absurd hanger-stabber of Brookie was a surprise, but almost believable. So many actions are sneaky and secretive, I have less admiration for Flavia than in the rest of the series. I'm not fond of anyone, true or fictional, who walks into danger, creating their own trouble. I am fond of the eccentric household 1950s Britain other world Bradley makes believable.

Flavia's motives puzzle me in this book. They accentuate her loneliness; Dogger is the only person she ever calls to help; he appears at need. Why does she ... Let house-breaker Brookie Harewood, obviously significant fireplace dog in hand, go without reporting the invasion then in the wee hours or after she finds him stabbed in the nose hanging dead? Visit presumably fast asleep Fenella in the dark? Muck up the crime scenes and sneak around? Invite the attacking lying niece Porcelain to secretly stay and wear beloved late mother Harriet's clothes? Explore the basement far reaches after midnight? Not go for help when little Colin there tied up?

The hours investigating the fake Hobbler religion boil down to one essential fact - Mrs Bull christened her baby by ducking it in the river while holding the heel - accidental hidden death is all we need to know. The complicated search for a villain's fishy smell does not expose the perpetrator. Porcelain's fore-telling dream of him is contrived. Too much trivia overwhelms.

Other questions. Where does Flavia, with minimal savings, get pocket money for bus and taxi fares, when her father borrows such from manservant Dogger? Relative ages of the daughters seem less here. She is 11, Daphne +2 = 13, Ophelia 17, but respectively 17 and 20 in books 1 and 2. The more mature the sisters should be, the more cruel their bullying-revenge.

Despite confusion, the series enthralls. Unsure where the sibling hatred and parental absence is going. How the family simulates normality in company is true to life. I agree from experience such influences on childhood are major, pivotal, and permanent. A voice in her head is too far.

Will Flavia ever grow past pre-puberty, or is she a perennial Nancy Drew? I disagree with a reviewer who said an American lawyer's sportscar driving daughter was poorer than an intestate-will building resident minor. Forever snowy haired Miss Jane Marple finds a world of crime in her small hamlet. Likewise, Flavia seems ageless.

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Jan 10, 2012 Allyson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hadn't realized how much I missed the antics of Flavia de Luce until talking with a friend about the first two books and some of my suspicions about the characters. Right after our conversation, I purchased the third book and immediately began reading it. I was instantly swept away into Flavia's world of two teasing sisters, a grieving and preoccupied father, chemistry, mystery, murder, and investigating.

I think I enjoy these books so much because there's so much character development. After...more I hadn't realized how much I missed the antics of Flavia de Luce until talking with a friend about the first two books and some of my suspicions about the characters. Right after our conversation, I purchased the third book and immediately began reading it. I was instantly swept away into Flavia's world of two teasing sisters, a grieving and preoccupied father, chemistry, mystery, murder, and investigating.

I think I enjoy these books so much because there's so much character development. After being introduced to Flavia in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, it has been interesting to see her progression as a character. I would tell you that I feel sorry for her, but I think she might respond with the phrase, "Damned and double damned!" So, I will just say that it has been intriguing to see how a girl with a deceased mother, grieving father (who is still grieving after 10 years), and two torturous older sisters fares in the world. I do not feel sorry for Flavia, but I do wish that she had someone to commend her on her achievements. Being a chemistry wiz and solving three murders and an attempted murder is no small feat, and I think if Flavia’s mother, Harriet, were still around, she would be very proud of the girl.

I don’t want to make her family sound awful. I enjoyed this book so much because I finally was able to see her father express a bit more emotion. In some small ways, he finally showed that he was proud of Flavia. Colin de Luce is not a bad father. I think he cares very much about the trouble that Flavia gets into, but I believe that her free spirit reminds him so much of Harriet that he rather enjoys Flavia’s trouble making and turns a blind eye against it.

Feely and Daffy were even more awful than I could imagine. I’m still a little peeved that Flavia didn’t get her revenge on them, but oh well, there’s always the next book. Even though I know she would despise anyone saying this to her, I do feel sorry for Flavia because of how her sisters treat her. They’re mean and cruel to her for no reason, and I think this is the one thing that bothers her. She can’t understand what she ever did to deserve such treatment from the only two women in her life who should love her unconditionally. I suspect it’s because Feely and Daffy are jealous that Flavia was loved most by Harriet and is adored by Father—even if he won’t admit it—but that’s a story for another time.

If you want to see great character development with a little murder, mayhem, and British swearing along the way, I think this is the perfect book for you. However, I highly recommend reading the first book in the series so that you have a definite understanding of where Flavia comes from and what she’s been through. From the moment she opens her mouth to narrate, you won’t want to put the books down.
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Jul 16, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, young-adult, favorites

Eleven year old Flavia de Luce solves another mystery of a murder, an assault on a fortune teller and a buried baby, all on her backyard. She is beginning to sound like she lives in my neighborhood in Baltimore instead of an idyllic 1950's English country side of Bishop's Lacey. There is one hilarious bit in which she daydreams about how she will be showered with adulation by the police when she digs up important clues only later to be told she has contaminated the crime scene. And when she is t...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Jana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know that one isn’t supposed to excessively include quotes in a book review, but I don’t consider my incoherent ramblings about my enjoyment of the books I’ve read to be proper book reviews anyway, so what the hell.

I easily dove back into Flavia’s world with this one. Admittedly, the mystery and plausibility of events might be a bit vague or construed, but I don’t care. I just like to follow Flavia around and listen to her musings, because they are highly enjoyable. I think her characterisatio...more I know that one isn’t supposed to excessively include quotes in a book review, but I don’t consider my incoherent ramblings about my enjoyment of the books I’ve read to be proper book reviews anyway, so what the hell.

I easily dove back into Flavia’s world with this one. Admittedly, the mystery and plausibility of events might be a bit vague or construed, but I don’t care. I just like to follow Flavia around and listen to her musings, because they are highly enjoyable. I think her characterisations are simply brilliant, here one of her oldest sister Ophelia:

"It was Ophelia, the older of my two sisters. Feely was 17, and ranked herself right up there with the Blessed Virgin Mary, although the chief difference between them, I’m willing to bet, is that the BVM doesn’t spend 23 hours a day peering at herself in a looking glass while picking away at her face with a pair of tweezers. […] Feely made a snatch at my ear, but I sidestepped her easily. By sheer necessity, the lightning dodge had become one of my specialties. […] As always, she had left her spectacles at home out of vanity, but her inattentiveness might simply have been lack of interest. For all practical purposes, Feely’s enthusiasm stopped where her skin ended."

(pages 6 to 7)

Flavia’s observations of everyday life are equally amusing. Here her musings on cod-liver oil:

"My experience of cod-liver oil was vast. Much of my life had been spent fleeing the oncoming Mrs. Mullett, who, with uncorked bottle and a spoon the size of a garden spade, pursued me up and down the corridors and staircases of Buckshaw – even in my dreams.
Who in their right mind would want to swallow something that looked like discarded engine oil and was squeezed out of fish livers that had been left out to rot in the sun? The stuff was used in the tanning of leather, and I couldn’t help wondering what it would do to one’s insides. […] ‘No! No!’ I would shriek. ‘No acid! Please don’t make me drink acid!’”

(page 136)

Sometimes ignorance is bliss indeed! I certainly remember the vile stuff, but had I known these facts at the age my mother forced me to swallow spoonfuls of it, that would certainly have caused a deep rift between my mother and me. :)

One last quote to illustrate Flavia’s knack for creating very vivid comparisons:

“I paused for a moment to stare up at the Poseidon fountain. Old Neptune, as the Romans called him, all muscles and tummy, was gazing unconcernedly off into the distance, like someone who had broken wind at a banquet and is trying to pretend it wasn’t him.”

(page 196)

This book kept me entertained until its very end. I thought there were a number of loose ends, but I don’t demand from these novels that everything makes sense to me. It had my grinning and giggling happily and that was all that counted for me.
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Jun 12, 2011 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-isles-theme-setting, young-adult, mystery-crime-thriller, read-2011

Perhaps I took too long to read A Red Herring Without Mustard. If I'd zipped through it on sunny Sunday afternoon, the rambling plot would have been a trifle to be indulged instead of endured. About two-thirds of the way in, brakes were put on the pace and the exposition became redundant.

There were heaps of elements that I did love, namely Flavia and her irascible, invincible spirit. Bradley loves this little girl and taking care to round out her precociousness with vulnerability. Flavia is tak...more Perhaps I took too long to read A Red Herring Without Mustard. If I'd zipped through it on sunny Sunday afternoon, the rambling plot would have been a trifle to be indulged instead of endured. About two-thirds of the way in, brakes were put on the pace and the exposition became redundant.

There were heaps of elements that I did love, namely Flavia and her irascible, invincible spirit. Bradley loves this little girl and taking care to round out her precociousness with vulnerability. Flavia is taking on layers as a character as she begins to shed the innocence of childhood and enters the dark world of adolescence. She is becoming more self-aware and multi-dimensional. The settings of Buckshaw and Bishop's Lacey become more significant, offering greater delights and deeper tensions. The cloud hanging over Buckshaw grows as the family's fiduciary status weakens, and Flavia’s sisters' teasing borders on torture.

But for all her precociousness and savvy sleuthing, Flavia’s pigheaded blundering into crime scenes left me terrifically annoyed with Bradley. Flavia knows better than to traipse through blood, muck about with corpses, and smear her fingerprints all over murder weapons. Bradley does his heroine a great disservice in dumbing her down and creating comic book scenes of her escapades.

It is a challenge for the author to show more heart and soul in some of the secondary characters, because we see them only through Flavia’s eyes. Her father, Dogger, Inspector Hewitt, and Porcelain- those characters whom Flavia regards with sympathy or holds in awe- are given the most flesh on their bones.

It’s as if Bradley can’t commit to writing a good mystery, relying instead on his irresistible heroine to carry the day and for that, the whole construct suffers. I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: I’m not a great reader of mysteries, so the whodunit aspect isn’t a deal-breaker for me. But Good Golly, I still demand a good STORY. And if you are writing a mystery, well, silly is fine, but just don’t let me yawn. Herring got off to an enchanting and intriguing start, and promised to be much better than …the Hangman’s Bag, but the too-brief foray into Gypsy culture, the inexplicable tangent of the Hobbler sect, and the plopping in and pulling out of Fenella and Porcelain (character, not china) were as disappointing as hydroponic tomatoes- a pretty package hiding flavorless pulp. The weak story was my central gripe about book #2 and if anything, #3 was a greater disappointment, if only because it started out with such promise. I remain convinced that Flavia is worthy of better, and greater, challenges.
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Mar 25, 2011 Johanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, arc-first-read, england

I adored the previous books in this series, and this one certainly did not disappoint.

Flavia de Luce is a precocious 11-year-old who uses her logical and inquisitive brain, along with her love of chemistry, to solve mysteries.
Flavia lives in impoverished splendor with her distant, stamp loving father, her two self-involved older sisters, a gossipy housekeeper, and a harmless but undoubtedly crazy caretaker.

Flavia and her trusty bicycle, Gladys, engage in adventures with dead bodies, gypsies,...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, the bodies certainly do pile up at Buckshaw. I continue to be willing to suspend my disbelief of this because Flavia is such a delightful character.

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May 15, 2013 Anton rated it 5 of 5 stars

The third in a series, “A Red Herring Without Mustard” continues the adventures of eleven year old Flavia de Luce. An amateur sleuth living in postwar England, Flavia applies her extensive knowledge of chemistry and poisons, along with her sharp analytical mind, to the task of solving the murders that plague the village of Bishop’s Lacey. (Seriously, there’s definitely a murder epidemic going on. Three dead bodies have turned up in the span of just a few months.)

Set shortly after the events of t...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Tara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Honestly, I just can't make sense of this series. I was pretty ambivalent about the first book, but thought I'd give it another try -- so when I came across the 3rd book in a B&N bargain bin, I thought I might as well give the series another try.

But I'm still pretty ambivalent.

At times I feel a certain empathy for the lead character, but there's just so much about Flavia (in fact, nearly ALL the characters in this series) that's so completely obnoxious, it seems I can't read more than a chap...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Cook Memorial Public Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, audiobook

Oh, how I love Flavia de Luce! This was the first book in the series that I'd listened to, rather than reading, and I was enchanted by Jayne Entwhistle's narration. She captures so perfectly the voice of precocious, determined Flavia, one of my favorite characters in literature. Sometimes I think that Bradley has made her too mature for her eleven years, stretching the bounds of credibility, but then she does or says something perfectly childlike, and I'm pulled right back under her spell again....more

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Mar 09, 2013 Ricki Treleaven rated it 4 of 5 stars

This week I read A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley, the third in a series of Flavia de Luce murder mysteries.

I absolutely adore Flavia de Luce. The year is 1950, and the setting is Buckshaw, a sprawling English estate near the small village of Bishop's Lacey. Flavia is the eleven year old and youngest daughter of a widower. The two older daughters, Ophelia, 17, (Feely for short) and Daphne, 14, (Daffy), torment Flavia, as sisters sometimes are wont to do. Each sister has her own pas...more This week I read A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley, the third in a series of Flavia de Luce murder mysteries.

I absolutely adore Flavia de Luce. The year is 1950, and the setting is Buckshaw, a sprawling English estate near the small village of Bishop's Lacey. Flavia is the eleven year old and youngest daughter of a widower. The two older daughters, Ophelia, 17, (Feely for short) and Daphne, 14, (Daffy), torment Flavia, as sisters sometimes are wont to do. Each sister has her own passion: Feely is an accomplished pianist. Daffy is a bookworm and loves Victorian fiction. Flavia has taken a liking to her great uncle Tar's chemistry lab in the east wing; Flavia has a passion for poisons! I love nothing better than an eccentric English upper-class family as characters in literature.

"You frighten me," the gypsy said. "Never have I seen my crystal ball so filled with darkness."

This is how the third installment begins. Flavia accidentally catches a gypsy's tent on fire at a fair at Bishop Lacey's Anglican Church, St. Tancred's, after the gypsy references Flavia's mother's tragic death on a mountain in Tibet ten years earlier. Feeling guilty for having destroyed the tent and an afternoon's wages for the gypsy, Flavia feels obligated to help her. She takes the gypsy and her caravan to The Palings, a pretty meadow in the bend of the River Efon on her family's estate. Later, Flavia finds the gypsy bludgeoned almost to death in the caravan, and, within the same day, finds a local n'er do well hanging from Neptune's Triton atop a long-decommissioned fountain at Buckshaw.

Years earlier, the gypsy had been accused of abducting a local infant. Could her bludgeoning be related to this case? Is the murder at Buckshaw also related to the attack on the gypsy? Flavia, with her usual brilliance, sets off on Gladys (her bike) and gathers clues to solve the case. Unfortunately, her tampering with and withholding of evidence aggravates Inspector Hewitt to his wit's end. He requests that the Colonel keep Flavia at home. Will Flavia solve the crimes before someone else is victimized? How can she solve them if she is grounded at Buckshaw?
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Feb 23, 2013 Ja Calton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the third in the Flavia de Luce series, following the adventures of our eleven-year-old chemist cum sleuth. Maybe a little more background of the story should be presented. The de Luce girls's mother, Harriet, was lost in a mountaineering accident when Flavia was about three, and her older sisters torment her by trying to convince her that either their mother never liked Flavia, or that Harriet was not actually Flavia's mother.

Father, Colonel de Luce keeps Harriet's bedroom as a shrine,...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Annette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Flavia de Luce is back and she's as entertaining as ever. There is another dead body in A Red Herring Without Mustard, and Flavia is on the case!

If you are unfamiliar with this series, you might want to read my reviews of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, the first two books in the series.

Flavia is eleven years old, living on an old estate in England in the 1950s with her father and two older sisters. She's precocious, smart, and fancies herself...more Flavia de Luce is back and she's as entertaining as ever. There is another dead body in A Red Herring Without Mustard, and Flavia is on the case!

If you are unfamiliar with this series, you might want to read my reviews of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, the first two books in the series.

Flavia is eleven years old, living on an old estate in England in the 1950s with her father and two older sisters. She's precocious, smart, and fancies herself a chemist. This one starts out with her causing a gypsy's fortune telling tent to catch fire, and doesn't stop after that.

The mystery is intriguing, but I find myself not really caring "who done it." It's experiencing all of Flavia's brilliant deductions and crazy escapades while we get to the conclusion that provides all the fun. And Flavia and her sisters have outdone themselves again. The crazy things they come up with to torment each other are not to be missed.

There's the gypsy, a missing baby, a body hanging from Poseidon's fountain, a mysterious junk yard, an artist with a secret painting, and an old religious order called the Hobblers in A Red Herring Without Mustard. And you will never guess how that all fits together! Oh, and plenty of Flavia's explanations of chemicals and their reactions.

These aren't books that you want to hurry through to get to the solution. Flavia's often irrelevant but delightful asides are not to be missed. (And many times what at first seems unimportant ends up being a critical element!)

I find these books pure entertainment, and I've listened to Jayne Entwistle read all of them to me. She's perfect for this series and really brings Flavia and all the characters to life. It isn't necessary to read the books in order, but there are subtle references to previous cases in each book, so why not start at the beginning. I really can't say any of the series are better than the others. They are all just witty and clever and unlike anything I've ever read.

I've recommended the Flavia de Luce Novels to teens in my library and I will continue to do so!(less)

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Nov 17, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian

This is the third novel in the Flavia de Luce series. It started with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and continued with The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag. I thought the first much better than the second, but the third is back to the quality of the first. The plot itself is strong, and Flavia shows some character development, as does her father the Colonel.
There is less about the two sisters here than in the previous books, but Flavia more than makes up for it. Her adventures star...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Чудесна!
Определено най-добрата от трите!Не мога да намеря точната дума, но ми се струва че авторът вече е намерил темпото и точните дози с които да пише и резултата е на лице!
Разследването протече много интересно, разскриха се любопитни късчета от историята на Де Лус, имаше отново интересни герои - дори Флавия сякаш претърпя известна промяна!
Някои от описанията ме караха да се смея на глас.Определено ми беше много интересна и я прочетох почти на един дъх.Нещо което пропуснах в предните си впеча...more Чудесна!
Определено най-добрата от трите!Не мога да намеря точната дума, но ми се струва че авторът вече е намерил темпото и точните дози с които да пише и резултата е на лице!
Разследването протече много интересно, разскриха се любопитни късчета от историята на Де Лус, имаше отново интересни герои - дори Флавия сякаш претърпя известна промяна!
Някои от описанията ме караха да се смея на глас.Определено ми беше много интересна и я прочетох почти на един дъх.Нещо което пропуснах в предните си впечатления е колко ми харесва че Дафни чете толкова много!Възхищавам се на момичето, макар че е част от злото дуо посветено на измъчването на Флавия.
И отново,разбира се, финалният абзац беше великолепен за завършек.
Единственият минус който мога да намеря е, че събитията във всяка книга се развиват в рамките на 1-2 месец едно от друго, което за малко селце като Бишъп Лейси е доста странно.Все се надявах да прочета за рожденият ден на Флавия или поне някаква промяна във външният и вид - символ че все пак расте.Но явно авторът държи тя да остане на 11 възможно най-дълго.
И.
Защо никоя от сестрите на ходи на училище? Все пак е 1950-та, нима не са имали никаква възможност да финансират обучението им?
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Sep 09, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eleven year old Flavia has once again found herself in the wrong place and the wrong time - or if you have a penchant for solving mysteries like her, perhaps it's the wrong place at the right time. Flavia finds herself in the caravan of a gypsy woman who is staying on Buckshaw land; the woman has been attacked but, due to Flavia's quick thinking, she survives. However, Flavia is determined to find out who attacked her and quickly finds herself entrenched in secret religious societies, forgers, a...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Lizzie Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

‘A Red Herring Without Mustard’ by Alan Bradley
Published by Orion, 31st March 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7528-9715-8

Attending the village fete, eleven year-old Flavia de Luce pays a visit to the fortune teller’s tent. The Gypsy tells her that she can see a mountain and a woman who wants to come home. For Flavia, whose mother Harriet died in a climbing accident in Tibet when Flavia was less than a year old, this is a wounding disclosure, and in her shock Flavia topples the lamp doing some serious damage t...more ‘A Red Herring Without Mustard’ by Alan Bradley
Published by Orion, 31st March 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7528-9715-8

Attending the village fete, eleven year-old Flavia de Luce pays a visit to the fortune teller’s tent. The Gypsy tells her that she can see a mountain and a woman who wants to come home. For Flavia, whose mother Harriet died in a climbing accident in Tibet when Flavia was less than a year old, this is a wounding disclosure, and in her shock Flavia topples the lamp doing some serious damage to the Gypsy’s tent.

Needing to learn more Flavia decided to pay the Gypsy a visit but finds that the old woman has been brutally attacked in her caravan. Flavia deduces that the Gypsy’s fortune telling has stirred up someone with guilty conscience - maybe memories of tragic events in the village’s past. Flavia resolves to surreptitiously find out. But subsequently finding a body in the grounds of her home, Buckshaw puts Flavia firmly in the spotlight of both Inspector Hewitt and her family. But undeterred Flavia users her not inconsiderable skills of deduction to unmask the killer.

Set in the 1950’s in the village of Bishop’s Lacey, this is the third adventure featuring Flavia de Luce, a precocious but interesting and at times enchanting heroine. Inhabiting the east wing of the somewhat dilapidated seat of the de Luce family, Flavia uses the scientific skills honed in her laboratory, formerly used by great-uncle Tarquin de Luce, to solve the mystery. As in previous books much of her time is spent avoiding her elder sisters Ophelia (Feely) and Daffy (Daphne) who she is convinced are trying to kill her. Indeed many of her experiments are dedicated to finding ways to poison, maim or frighten them.

This is a delightful read with a refreshing protagonist - wonderful dialogue and marvellous characters. Cleverly written with aspects of humour that eleven year-old Flavia is sure is passing over the heads of the adults, whilst much of theirs passes over her.

Highly recommended.
-----
Lizzie Hayes
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Aug 04, 2012 Donna LaValley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: flavia-de-luce-cozy-mystery-series

*A Red Herring With Mustard* is the third in the Flavia de Luce mystery series, which takes place in a small English village in the 1950’s. Flavia is a precocious 11-year-old girl who loves chemistry, is teased brutally by her 2 older sisters, is benignly neglected by her father, and manages to be involved in every local mystery, crime, or murder in the area, thus being the bane -and source of needed information- of local Inspector Hewitt. In this story, a gypsy woman in her colorful caravan is...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh how I love Flavia de Luce. This is the third book in the series and instead of getting lazy and assuming the audience from previous books would love her regardless of his efforts, the author has delved deeper into what makes her tick. It’s a wonderful addition to the series.

This mystery has her trying to find out who killed a local boy and beat a gypsy within an inch of her life. Though the plot is great, it’s really secondary to the developing relationships in the series. What I truly loved...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Babette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

Alan Bradley's books are such fun. This is the third in his wonderful Flavia de Luce mysteries. Falvia is an eleven-year-old girl with a fascination of chemistry. Somehow her curious nature and penchant for being in places she should not be lead her to dead bodies strewn around her family estate and neighboring village. Over time her sleuthing skills gain the respect of Inspector Hewitt, although her unwanted involvement in crime drives him mad. Flavia weaves a life very separate from her two ol...more

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May 27, 2012 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Red Herring Without Mustard
~Bantam
(79)
Welcome to the wonderful world of Flavia de Luce, May 27, 2012
By Ellen Rappaport (Florida)
This review is from: A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel (Flavia de Luce Mysteries) (Paperback)
When an author writes their first book in a new series and it turns out to be a world wide success one wonders if that author's next books can continue on that same level. Evidently this author, Alan Bradley, has attained what others have strived fo...more
A Red Herring Without Mustard
~Bantam
(79)
Welcome to the wonderful world of Flavia de Luce, May 27, 2012
By Ellen Rappaport (Florida)
This review is from: A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel (Flavia de Luce Mysteries) (Paperback)
When an author writes their first book in a new series and it turns out to be a world wide success one wonders if that author's next books can continue on that same level. Evidently this author, Alan Bradley, has attained what others have strived for and failed...he has surpassed the highest expectations imaginable. This third and the latesdt in the Flavia de Luce series is, in my opinion, the best yet.

We begin our third journey with Flavia riding in a gypsy caravan with Fenella Faa. The very gypsy Mrs. Bull reported to have stolen her baby years ago. Flavia finds herself embroiled in a mystery surrounding this Gypsy woman and intends to leave no crystal ball unturned until she unravels the truth.

Shortly thereafter Flavia finds Fenella beaten to a bloody mess and assists in notifying the authorities in time to save her. That's when Fenella's grand-daughter, Porcelaine comes into flavia's life. Their relationship takes on a life of its own due to Porcelaine taking the reins and Flavia losing the control she thought she had established between them.

Ophelia (Feely) and Daphne (Daffy), Flavias's two wicked sisters continue to menace Flavia in the most insidious ways. Unfortunately, their father remains engrossed in his stamp collection. This enables him to block the reality that their home ia slipping through his fingers. Buckshaw may not be their home much longer and the harshness of losing their home is hitting Flavia where it hurts most...in her heart.
Vanetta Harewood (Brookie Harewood's Mother)reveals to Flavia a painting requested and paid for by her late Mother, Harriet. It was to be a surprise for her Father but has remained with Vanetta since Harriets untimely death. Flavia knows she must bring this painting to her Father and home to Buckshaw in order to fulfill her Mother's wishes.

The author weaves so many relationships together and brings us to another level on those already established. Some feelings between Feely & Daffy towards Flavia appear to be changing. I also feel that the author may be shedding some light on the Father's relationship with Harriet during their marriage in the next installment.

I am not going to delve into everything in this overwhelmingly wonderful book but just to say I love Flavia and thank you to author for bringing us into Flavia's world.

A MUST read for any lover of mysteries.
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Apr 19, 2012 Bridget rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I dearly love Flavia de Luce. I go from wanting her to follow me around all day to narrate my life, to wanting to just hang out and be her friend, to wanting to give her a big hug and tell her how wonderful she is. I think this is my favorite Flavia de Luce so far.

This is the best kind of book to read on a Kindle. Every other page has a word I've never heard before, but with just a touch of the finger I can call up the definition.

Also with the touch of a finger, I can save my favorite passages....more

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About Alan Bradley

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

With an education in electronic engineering, Alan worked at numerous radio and television stations in Ontario, and at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Ryerson University) in Toronto, before becoming Director of Television Engineering in the media centre at the Universit...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

With an education in electronic engineering, Alan worked at numerous radio and television stations in Ontario, and at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Ryerson University) in Toronto, before becoming Director of Television Engineering in the media centre at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where he remained for 25 years before taking early retirement to write in 1994.

He became the first President of the Saskatoon Writers, and a founding member of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild. His children's stories were published in The Canadian Children's Annual, and his short story, Meet Miss Mullen, was the first recipient of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild Award for Children's Literature.

For a number of years, he regularly taught Script Writing and Television Production courses at the University of Saskatchewan (Extension Division) at both beginner and advanced levels.

His fiction has been published in literary journals and he has given many public readings in schools and galleries. His short stories have been broadcast by CBC Radio.

He was a founding member of The Casebook of Saskatoon, a society devoted to the study of Sherlock Holmes and Sherlockian writings. Here, he met the late Dr. William A.S. Sarjeant, with whom he collaborated on their classic book, Ms Holmes of Baker Street. This work put forth the startling theory that the Great Detective was a woman, and was greeted upon publication with what has been described as "a firestorm of controversy".

The release of Ms. Holmes resulted in national media coverage, with the authors embarking upon an extensive series of interviews, radio and television appearances, and a public debate at Toronto's Harbourfront. His lifestyle and humorous pieces have appeared in The Globe and Mail and The National Post.

His book The Shoebox Bible (McClelland and Stewart, 2006) has been compared with Tuesdays With Morrie and Mr. God, This is Anna.

In July of 2007 he won the Debut Dagger Award of the (British) Crimewriter's Association for his novel The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first of a series featuring eleven year old Flavia de Luce, which has since won the 2009 Agatha Award for Best First Novel,the 2010 Dilys Award,the Spotted Owl Award, and the 2010 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie has also been nominated for the Macavity, the Barry, and the Arthur Awards.

Alan Bradley lives in Malta with his wife Shirley and two calculating cats. (less)

More about Alan Bradley...

Books by Alan Bradley

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1)

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Flavia de Luce, #2)

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia De Luce, #4)

Speaking from Among the Bones (Flavia de Luce, #5 )

Flavia de Luce 3-Book Bundle: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, A Red Herring Without Mustard

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“Whenever I'm with other people, part of me shrinks a little. Only when I am alone can I fully enjoy my own company.” — 76 people liked it

“Compared with my life Cinderella was a spoiled brat.” — 16 people liked it

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A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce #3)

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